DEVIL IN DISGUISE was a good read, actually, a lot of fun. I don’t read much HR anymore, but Lisa Kleypas is an author that I still read fairly consistently. A number of favorites from the Ravenals and Wallflowers were mentioned, and several played larger roles (Garrett and Ethan), and Kingston played a prominent role in the story. (Merritt, of course, all grown up). The plotline was good, but Kleypas pulled out a number of well worn and creaky historical romance tropes. It was all written so well, however, the reader doesn’t really mind.

Despite the feeling of déjà vu throughout the story, this was one of LK’s more enjoyable efforts. Leave it to Ravenal to fall into a messy situation and come out smelling like a rose. I don’t know how long she plans to do the Ravenals, but she’s still doing it well.

The Wallflower’s gang is back! But that doesn’t mean their children will allow them to take center stage. Fierce yet practical Lady Merrit [Marsden] Sterling can’t seem to get enough of the strong Scotsman Kier MacRae, but his seemingly innocuous past is about to come home to roost.

Unlike other romance authors whose characters and plots fall flat in the pursuit of… ahem… “action,” Kleypas interweaves magical moments between well-suited couples with traditional romantic tropes and fun plot twists without descending into tripe. DEVIL IN DISGUISE is no exception and functions as a wonderful addition to the Wallflowers and Ravenels series. It’s nice to revisit fan favorites like Sebastian and Evie and Westcliff and Lilian, but this work wasn’t a stand-out compared to the others. Nevertheless, fans of the series and general romance will find satisfaction with any work from Kleypas.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Avon for and advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Historical Romance Friends-

I feel a little bit guilty gushing about a book that doesn’t come out until July but OH.MY.GOODNESS it’s so good.

I loved it.

A whiskey distilling Scot, Keir MacRae, is in the running against Derek Craven and Sebastian Lord St. Vincent as my favorite Kleypas hero.

The attraction is instant, the steam level is (fans herself) high and the dialogue is sweet and tender.

The heroine, Merritt, is headstrong, confident, and unwilling to sacrifice her needs.

I loved seeing characters return from the Wallflowers and Ravenel series.

Without getting “spoilery”, there are interconnected storylines that totally worked. You get the romance but so much more.

I inhaled this book in one sitting last week and I’ve already gone back to it. I can’t remember the last time I was this emotionally captivated by a historical romance. Some of the scenes were so well imagined that I found myself soaking up every word.

Pre-order or place holds now.

Some books just bring joy to your soul - this is one of those books. I'll admit I was predisposed to love it - but independent of my love of the Wallflowers or the Ravenels, this book stands on its own. Keir and Merritt are 100% #couplegoals and Keir may come close to beating out other favorite Kleypas heroes for the number one spot in my heart. A title that is current shared by Derek Craven and Rhys Winterborne. Only time will tell...

Lady Merritt Stirling is the oldest daughter of Marcus and Lillian, the Earl and Countess of Westcliff. Her late husband owned a shipping company, and following his death - Merritt and her younger brother Luke have been running the business. Keir MacRae is a whiskey distiller and 100% Scottish. He is using Merritt's company to ship and store his Whiskey for distribution. Once Keir arrives in London nothing is ever the same for him or for Merritt. Merritt is such a wonderful combination of her parents - and a force of her own. She is smart, funny, and so, so fierce. But Keir. Keir is such a gem. He is definitely something of a poet - and clearly has a deep well of feelings and emotions. How could you not love a man who says things like this:

"Bide for a while, and let me love you longer."

or

"How could it be late, when you're the sunrise? There's no morning sky or lark-song before you appear. No butterfly would dare unfold its wings. The day waits on you, my heart...."

SIGH

As you'd guess from the title, Keir is very much connected to the most famous Devil in the Kelypas lexicon, Sebastian Challon - now Duke of Kingston.

"Dear, are you claiming Mr. MacRae is the devil in disguise?"

It is an incredible joy to see Sebastian and Evie (as well as Marcus and Lillian) . Years later, with so many children (no surprise when you have as much adult fun time as these guys have), their relationships and viewpoints have matured and changed somewhat. To see them as loving partners and parents is wonderful. If you haven't read their books, you 100% don't need to understand what is happening or to get a sense of their characters.

"Don't be absurd, Westcliff. If I wanted to murder someone, I'd never deny myself the pleasure of doing it personally."

Overall - I can't recommend this highly enough. Fans of Lisa Kleypas won't be disappointed. New to Lisa Kelypas? You won't be disappointed either.

I feel incredibly blessed to have received an ARC of this book, but these opinions are all my own.

I just started this much awaited book by MS Lisa Kleypas. I’m simply smitten by the first three chapters, the title should give a clue to the link to the Wallflowers. I can’t wait to read on. TGIF and I’m sure after my dinner with friends thus evening I’ll be staying up late.
I can vouch for sure that Ms.. kleypas is on top of the game.

Full review to come once I’ve relished the book and caught my breath :)

After a week-

Can the series get better? An absolute YES if the author is Ms Lisa Klepas.

We had a glimpse of Lady Merritt Sterling, oldest daughter of Lord Westcliff and American born Lillian Bowman (check out the wallflowers series if you have not yet done so) in West Ravenel and Lady Pheobe’s book, The Devils Daughter. About 2 years later she is now a widow and runs her late husband’s shipping business with her younger brother Luke Marsden.

Due to some logistics issue a ship loaded with vintage single malt whisky is not able to dock and unload the cargo and the very irate Scottish brewer Kier McRae demands some answers as his future investments is based of off this delivery. We are introducing to the smooth and savvy business lady Merritt, who resolves the issues without much difficulty and also takes care of the whiskey drenched MacRae’s boarding problem by offering a room on her business premises. She is also attracted to handsome Scot and likewise MacRae is charmed by the lovely smart and kind Merritt.
She invites him to dine with her. Before heading over, he stops at Jenners to offer samples for his 40 year old single malt and runs into none other than Sebastian, Duke of Kingston, the former rake turned wealthy peer after his own marriage to Evie Jenner. This is a clue to the unraveling of the mystery as the story unfolds. On the way MacRae is attacked and knifed. He assumes it is a mugging, but unfortunately it not the case. He heads back to his lodging at the Sterling warehouse, after an interlude with the passionate lady Merritt, who knows exactly what she wants from the relationship, Kier is attaked and his cargo is burned down as well. The injured LacRae is rushed to the Sterling home.

From here the story gets intense and Sebastian plays a formidable role and takes Kier (along with Merritt) to Essex to recuperate from the injuries and his partial memory loss for he does not remember the past few days, thereby no memory of Merritt.

I absolutely can’t give away the mystery surrounding Kiers attacks as that is the basis of the novel.

It’s worth the long wait for a Kleypas novel, esp when Wallflower families are part of the narrative. A fan of Ms Kleypas’ audiobooks, I can’t wait to get the audio version narrated by Mary Jane Wells.
—————
Please pardon typos if any.

Another great showing in the Ravenels series: cozy, delightful, and honestly everything you would want from its description

There was a lot of buzz over who Kier is, since all the other titles Kleypas has written with “Devil” in them are related to Sebastian, Duke of Kingston (formerly Lord St. Vincent). I was worried he’d end up being Sebastian’s son born out of wedlock, and that was correct. It happened pre-Evie (obviously!!!) but I wasn’t convinced I could ever see it not as a betrayal of her, which is ridiculous.

Of course Lisa Kleypas delivers. There’s a wonderful, almost slice-of-life quality to this installment, as it necessarily involves Sebastian and Evie coming to terms with meeting Kier, Marcus and Lillian worrying about their daughter, and the two couples deepening their friendship as their children fall in love. I was totally charmed by the way Kier and Sebastian developed their relationship as father and son. Even the amnesia subplot worked for me, which I usually find totally hit or miss.

There were some things I just waved away, plot-wise. Is it true that the demonstrable illegitimate son of a lady would still be her husband’s legal heir? No idea. And the ending here was really too neat and too quickly wrapped up. I wouldn’t have minded one more slightly more harrowing brush with death, “Secrets of a Summer Night” factory explosion style. But this was an absolutely delightful chunk of time spent back in the Kleypas universe and I can’t wait for my next visit.

Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas is the seventh book in her very popular The Ravenels Series. Devil in Disguise is such a delightful book. Fun, steamy, and fast-paced, I tore through this book and it left me wanting more. More books by Lisa Kleypas!

Lady Merritt Sterling, a widower is running her late husband’s shipping company in London instead of sitting home and grieving. Keir MacRae, is a whiskey distiller from the tiny island of Islay, in northern Scotland. When his shipment of whiskey barrels gets misdirected and an entire barrel of whiskey is dumped all over Keir, he marches to the head of the shipping company to complain, but he doesn’t expect the beautiful Lady Merritt Sterling as the head of the shipping company.

Merritt and Keir have an immediate attraction, but he’s a small island man, and she loves the hustle and bustle of London. When Keir is almost killed in her warehouse, Merritt knows she must help him heal from his wounds.

This book is fun, intriguing, and beautifully written. Merritt is a strong, beautiful, and determined woman, who has loved and lost and doesn’t want to love again. I like a strong female lead who is not full of insecurities and instead is decisive and knows what she wants.

These characters are likable and well-developed. I was rooting for them both throughout the entire book. They are both very passionate, but also very giving and loveable.

Lisa Kleypas is a master at dialogue. While I was reading this I could hear Keir’s Scottish Brogue in my head because the dialogue was so detailed with the accent. I also liked that this is such a dialogue forward book, without long passages of description, but you still get a very good idea of the scenery around them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved Devil in Disguise! I thought the connection between Kier and Merrit was wonderful and I loved Merrit’s take-charge attitude. As a widow who is efficiently and effectively running her deceased husband’s shipping company, she is very used to being in charge and getting her way. And I love it! When she sees Keir, she knows exactly what she wants - him.

I really liked Keir’s respect for Merrit and her authority as well as how he always tried to do the right thing by her and society. When he falls in love, he does so hard and fast. Do I think their connection seemed kinda fast? Yes. Do I care? Not really. It’s an instant attraction romance, followed by deep conversations and love.

I will say that I liked this book much more than her last release, Chasing Cassandra. I think the characters were better developed and had a better connection. I will say that I’m not sure how it connects to the Ravenel’s series. It’s about Merrit, Marcus and Lillian’s daughter, and Keir, a Scottish whiskey distiller. It’s definitely in the same world as the Ravenel series, but I wouldn’t call either of them a Ravenel. Overall, a very swoony, very sweet, very good read.

I had conflicting feelings about this one. I LOVE Kleypas's Wallflower series. I re-read it at least once a year. So when she began writing their kids into her books, I was THRILLED. But this one...Just didn't hit the right notes for me. Sure, it was enjoyable and an escape for a few hours, but I realize the parts I enjoyed the most were seeing Evie, Lillian, Marcus, and Sebastian again, rather than their offspring. The ending to all the build up in conflict was also pretty tame and a huge let down after all the panic and drama. The plotline is pretty predictable (though I can tell the author is trying to spice it up a bit), but it just didn't hit the right notes for me. This wasn't my favorite, though, again, I am probably going to re-read anything with Sebastian in it.

An all-around delight. This book kept me thoroughly entertained on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Unlike a lot of readers I have not read all the books in the Wallflower and Ravenels series, and the ones I have read I read years ago. So while I was familiar with some of the people in the book and could easily tell who had been featured previous books, I could not have told you everyone’s backstory. I’ve had issues with less skilled authors relying on readers having read previous books in the series to understand the setup. I found that I did not need to have read all the books prior to this one to enjoy the story. Lisa managed to incorporate the necessary information from previous books to make everything seem whole. I will say that now I want to go back and read all the books in both the Wallflower and Ravenels series (and let’t be honest all of Lisa’s other books) because this world was absolutely wonderful.

I loved both Merritt and Keir. I adored Merritt from the moment her brother described her as table syrup and then she proceeded to prove him correct. I loved that Merritt was unapologetic about what she wanted even when propriety said otherwise. She was a very strong woman and didn’t cower to anyone. Keir was equally wonderful. I loved his pure bafflement of Merritt and his undeniable attraction toward her. I loved that he would call her a “wee bully” and then still do what she said.

I think I’ll stop there as to not reveal any spoilers. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an absolute love letter to the fans of the Wallflower Series, especially those readers that love and adored Devil in Winter.

We see so many of our beloved characters, I was absolutely giddy through out this amazing book.

Merritt is an absolute delight, she has so much of her mother and father in her. She’s funny and absolutely fierce. Keir is a rugged Scotsman with a heart of gold. He’s a cinnamon roll hero, with a fierce protective streak, but the thing I love best is that they don’t always agree on everything, but for the most part treat each other as partners.

“All he knew was that after he left, he’d have to learn how to love with his heart beating somewhere far away.”

I’ll be yelling from the rooftops for quite awhile, but this book brought me absolute JOY! Get this one on your TBR/preorder it!

I always love when a new Lisa Kleypas book comes out. This one was great. I loved all of the characters from previous books were a part of this one as well.

This book made me smile, giggle, and clap my hands. It was pure joy. I soaked in every minute of it. I didn’t want to put it down. It felt like there was something the tickled my fancy around every corner. You need this book. Enjoy!


I voluntarily read an early copy.

I am so conflicted on how to rate this because did I devour this book and love the characters? Yes. But were there things that I disliked or didn't make sense? Yes.

I think that if you love LK and her series you'll enjoy this book. It was wonderful to be back in this world and see familiar characters. I think it's safe to say that seven books into this particular series, I am personally reading for the characters, not for the plot. Kier was swoon-worthy, Merritt was smart, capable, and relatable, and who doesn't love Sebastian? The tropes are also there in abundance, the amnesia plotline was delightful!

The issues with this book happen if you look too closely at the plot. There are lots of loose ends and things that are brought up but never resolved. Personally, I had to remove a star because of the magic baby. Honestly, I hated it so much. If you're going to name a condition that women actually struggle with and call her "barren", don't end the book with a magic baby. I don't care how virile the family line is, it's a slap in the face to women who actually struggle with this condition. It would have been just as easy to say she thought she and her first husband couldn't have children and then end with the baby epilogue. It was incredibly frustrating.

All in all, it was a decent read! Even her not-so-great books are still good, and I was happy to finish out the series!

My love for Scotsmen runs deep and this book certainly flames that fire!

Devil in Disguise is the 7th book in the Ravenels series although this doesn’t necessarily follow that family and focuses on the offsprings from the Wallflowers series. A bit confusing if you hop around Kleypas’ books and don’t read in any particular order. Thankfully, I had already read Devil in Winter so had a bit of familiarity.

I absolutely adore Keir MacRae and couldn’t help but read him as Sam Heughan/Jamie Fraser. A big, burly, whiskey distiller, with the most intoxicating Scottish burr. I loved his whirlwind romance with Merritt and found their chemistry extremely palpable.

My small hang up with this story is the drama surrounding Keir’s paternity. I felt like it distracted from Keir and Merritt’s story. I also struggled because Merritt referred to Kingston as Uncle Sebastian and I was concerned this was going to turn in incestuous 🥴
Thankfully I gathered that she only refers to him as that because his close friendship with her father... *whew*. This is when reading the earlier books would be helpful!

I really wish the ending would have tied up a little differently. I wanted more Keir and Merritt and less of their parents. Also... because I’m baffled... the title is a bit frivolous. I don’t know who the “Devil in Disguise” is because it certainly can’t be Keir. I suspect it’s a call back to Sebastian and his book- Devil in Winter. I love Keir and wish he wasn’t overshadowed by Sebastian since he already had his own story.

The next generation of Wallflowers continues to find love in this newest installment from Lisa Kleypas. Marcus and Lillian's independent daughter, Merritt, is a young widow running her late husband's shipping business in 1880s London. When a handsome Scotsman appears, dripping wet with whiskey and outrage over his botched shipment, she's both intrigued and attracted. For his part, Keir MacRae will do his best to stay away from the lovely and spirited lady.

But there are secrets Keir doesn't even know about his own past (the "devil" in the title is a big clue), even as they put his life in danger. Merritt comes to the rescue, but will it jeopardize the future for both of them?

I enjoyed returning to the world of the Ravenels, and visiting with the now middle-aged Wallflowers. Merritt and Keir are well-matched, even as they encounter some very large obstacles. My only quibble is that the main plot wrapped up rather abruptly, and without the confrontation I was expecting.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between the widowed Lady Merritt Sterling and Scottish whisky distiller Keir MacRae, a continuation of The Ravenels series with a large dose of The Wallflowers series included. A life endangered and an unknown heritage are mixed in with a strong and immediate attraction, but it will take help from a number of relatives and friends to sort out the happy ending. Lisa Kleypas delivers another winner.

If you follow me on IG or saw my Most Anticipated Books for 2021 post, Devil in Disguise, has been at the top of my list.

But with that anticipation there is also trepidation.

Why? Because I knew it would concern the fictional love of my life, Sebastian, from Devil in Winter. The thought of something jeopardizing my feelings towards him, towards the Wallflowers, has literally kept me up nights in anxiety.

But I am already getting ahead of myself because this story is about Lady Merritt Sterling, the widowed daughter of Marcus and Lily from It Happened One Autumn, and Keir MacRae, a burly and rugged Scottish whiskey distiller.

Merritt stands on her own and is not a reincarnation of her mom, Lily, which I am thankful for. Not that I don’t love Lily, but she is not as confrontational. Merritt is a natural problem solver. A level-headed woman that while slightly defying conventions of her time, is someone that knows how to navigate her place in the world and stand on her own two feet. She is the kind of woman that you would love to unload all your worries to because you know she would have great advice and be a good friend to depend on.

And Keir. He is one big and burly delicious package. The Scottish burr. The temper. The strength of his character. Lisa Kleypas excels at heroes that make your cheeks feel flush and your heart race. He is a gentle giant of a man that can be unloading casks of whiskey and then charming you out of your drawers the next with his natural sensuality. But he is not one to use his brooding good looks to get ahead. As a matter of fact, he is really considerate and cautious, which makes the moments of Keir and Merritt circling each other in a haze of lust and romance all that more delicious.

But there is a lot for me to unpack here.

I finished this book in one sitting, at 4am in the morning, and woke up with my head all in a whirl. So I do apologize if this review is long, critical and slightly chaotic as I have a LOT of thoughts.

Mostly conflicted.

The biggest issue I take away after reading this book is that it felt it was trying to be too many things at once. Merritt and Keir should be the main focus, the buildup of their relationship, how they fall in love, how they combine the parts of their lives that are complicated and messy and make it work. I’m not saying that none of those things happen, but the origin’s of Keir and his connection to Sebastian took precedence and felt like a hammer waiting to drop until all was revealed. I sat with a pit in my stomach because I knew where it was going and while I don’t hate it, and it didn’t jeopardize my overall feelings for Sebastian (I mean honestly what could? He’s bae) it kept taking me out of the romance I was trying to enjoy between Merritt and Keir. And it also took away from the true conflict of the story that just so happens to get resolved quickly, off the page, and with unsatisfactory lack of true confrontation.

It also felt like a fan service to those of us that adore the Wallflowers series. Don’t get me wrong, if LK wants to continue writing about all of the Wallflowers and their kids, I am 100% ready to preorder. But all of these moments between Sebastian and Evie and Marcus and Lily, while I loved their time together, again it took away from Merritt and Keir.

And I think what I am most confused about is why this is considered under the Ravenel’s. I know it is slight in the grand scheme of things, but we only ever see Dr. Gibson, Ethan and a little bit of Phoebe. No other Ravenel’s were involved. And while I don’t know how they could be with EVERYTHING going on (and there is a lot of troupes going on) it just felt weird that this wasn’t book for a different spinoff, as it should be. And maybe it will be. I hope it is, as we meet Merritt’s youngest brother, Luke, who I thought would have more of a part in this story but he fades away pretty early on.

So I think what has me truly conflicted is how to rate it and how to feel about it. If just based on Merritt and Keir, it would be a solid 4.5 stars. I would knock off half a star as there was little concern or follow up to things like Merritt’s business she took over from when her husband passed. She was strong in her role as business woman and excelled at it while earning the respect of those employed by her, but it was a little lackluster with how little that part played into the overall conclusion of the story. Plus everything that goes on with Keir, I would have loved to find out how he handle his new title and role in the world in which he was never part of prior.

But overall, I think this is just one of those books I may need to come back to and reread once my emotions aren’t so high to gauge how I really feel. Because conflicted is the best way to describe how I feel. It’s a solid 4.5 stars in romance, and a 3 in execution and direction of plot. So I will give this 4 stars which feels too low for the parts I loved, and too generous for the things I don’t.

Thank you so much Avon for the ARC!

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH is all I have to say.

This may be the quickest I've ever requested a book on NetGalley. I have been so flipping excited to read this book.

This book follows Merritt (daughter of Marcus and Lillian), a widow who is running her late husband's shipping business, and her romance with Keir, a Scottish whisky distiller.
Tropes: Widowed heroine, class differences, amnesia, instalove

And yes, I'm not going to say what they are, but the theories I had about Keir going into this book were correct AND AMAZING.

The romance between Merritt and Keir felt slightly instalove-y and quick. I found the ending was also incredibly rushed, I could have done with another chapter or two to wrap up some loose ends.

Overall, I would give the romance in this book a 4/5 stars. However, all of the Sebastian, Evie, Marcus, and Lillian stuff bumped this book up to 5 stars for me. ESPECIALLY THE SEBASTIAN STUFF I CANNOT STRESS HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM IN THIS BOOK!

Main question I have is this really a Ravenels book? It did not feel like one - it felt much more like a continuation of the Wallflowers series.

Pls write more @ Lisa Kleypas I am begging you

I have absolutely loved every book in the Ravenels series and this one is no exception. I will read anything Lisa Kleypas writes because I know it will be fabulous! And I know the cover isn't the most important part, but they are all gorgeous. Lady Merritt was an interesting character and her chemistry with Keir sizzled.